Alone Two, but Together One
by agdoll95
Summary: 4 generations after Hiccup and Toothless brought peace to their people, Agnes has always dreamed of being a dragon rider. Just one problem, all dragons seem to hate her. She has taken the dragon test two times and she only gets one more chance.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

This is Berk. It's twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery. The village, in a word sturdy. It's been around for eleven generations and the builds are old and worn. We have fishing, hunting and a charming view of the sunsets. But the real upsides are the pets. While other places have ponies or parrots, we have…

"Dragons!" I yelled as I raced through the village carrying a basket of fish with a herd of Nadders hot on my tail. "Somebody help me!"

All at once the Nadders stopped and I turned around to see why. The chief's Nightmare, Firewyrm had stopped them in their tracks.

"Good job girl." The chief, Ragnar the Fierce, said rubbing Firwyrm's head. "Forgot to buy an eel again Agnes?" he said turning smiling at me.

"Yeah, I just keep forgetting how much the dragons love fish." I said picking up the fish I had dropped and handed one to Firewyrm. "Thanks for saving me again girl." I said stroking her head.

"You really are good with dragons." Ragnar said putting his hand on my shoulder.

"No, just with Firewyrm, and that's probably because I've been helping my Mom take care of her babies." I said said shrugging.

"Well, that doesn't mean that you're not good with them. You do have your dragon test tomorrow don't you?"

"Yeah, but this is the last chance I get before I'm told I have to find my own dragon somewhere else." I said with a feeling of dread.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get it." Ragnar said putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks chief, I'm sure if your wife were still here, she'd be very happy with how well you have been taking care of the village since the Hunters attacked."

"I don't doubt it." Ragnar said looking a bit sad remembering his beloved wife. "She would've wanted this you know, to see the village at peace once again."

"I know, she was such a kind lady, the village really misses her." I said looking down. "Oh no, I've gotta go, Mildrith is waiting for me. Thanks for the help again chief, see you tomorrow." I said racing away.

As I was making her way down the path to her house, I tripped and fell just outside the blacksmith's shop, dropping my basket and spilling the contents all around.

"Agnes, you alright?" Olaf, the apprentice to the village blacksmith Gunnar and a very close friend of mine, said helping me up.

"I'm fine, I just have to watch where I'm going is all." I said dusting myself off. "Well at least I didn't lose any…Hey, get out of there!" I shouted shooing some Terrors away. "Ugh, they ate almost all the fish I bought, all but one." I said holding it up only to have it snatched away by another Terror.

"Now, they've eaten all the fish." Olaf laughed.

"Not helping." I said feeling annoyed.

"Hey, don't worry. I can help you fix this."

"Oh yeah, how?"

"Come with me, I want you to meet my dragon, Ripclaw. You'll love him, he is very sweet, once he gets to know you." Olaf said leading me to the woods.

'Thank you Thor.' I thought to myself.

Once we got to the woods, Olaf used his Nightmare call and no sooner had it echoed back than a Nightmare with scarlet scales and dark marks came flying out of the trees.

"Hey boy, you remember Agnes, don't you?" Olaf said as he guided my hand to his snout. "We're gonna be helping her today. Can you do that?" Ripclaw nodded. "Good, Agnes you climb on, I'll get the net ready."

"Okay, but how do I… whoa!" I said as I tried to climb on but lost my grip. Thankfully, Olaf caught me. "Thanks Olaf, don't know what I'd do without you."

"Uh, no, no problem." Olaf replied turning a slight shade of red. "Ripclaw, why didn't you help her up?" he asked his dragon as he helped me up onto Ripclaw's back. "Okay, hang on. We like to go fast." Olaf warned as I held on.

"Olaf, we're getting pretty far from the island, do you even know where we're going?" I asked seeing the island getting smaller and smaller behind us.

"Oh, yeah. It's just the best fish are found out here. Patient, Gunnar always tells me all good things to those who wait."

"Yeah, that's my Dad for ya', patient as a rock." I said thinking about my dragon test the next day.

"Hey, look don't worry, you're gonna do great. I'm sure that once you have your dragon you'll be even better than Chief Hiccup and his Night Fury Toothless were."

"Thanks but how will that work when every time I get near them they freak out and I almost get killed each time?"

"You just haven't found yours yet, once you do, there'll be no denying it. I've seen how well you handle the baby dragons with your Mom, you'll be great."

"Thanks." I said hugging Olaf. "You know of all the guys around the village, I think you're the best. I'm really glad we're friends."

"Yeah, me too." Olaf said. "Um, we're here." Olaf said looking at the waters below. "Okay Ripclaw, you know what to do."

Presently, Ripclaw dove into the water with Olaf and me gripping on tighter as the net dragged behind us in the water. When we came up again, we were soaked but the nets were full.

"Don't worry about drying off, we'll be dry by the time we reach the village." Olaf said as I wrung my long, brown hair out.

"Thanks for doing this for me. And thank you Ripclaw, you really are an amazing dragon." I said rubbing his neck. Ripclaw purred at my touch. 'I guess I'm only good with Monstrous Nightmares, maybe that's the dragon I should go for tomorrow.' I thought to myself.

When we finally reached the village, I got all the fish into a basket, gave a few to Ripclaw and started for home. "Thanks again Olaf. You're a real good friend." I said hugging him before I left.

"No problem." Olaf said sounding a little dazed.

I ran home as fast as my feet could carry me and burst through the front door. "Sorry I'm late Mom. I had a little trouble with the fish earlier but I was able to…"

"That's alright sweetheart. Now, let's get this fish cooking and then I need you to take the rest down to the rookery, and feed the hatchlings." Mom said taking the basket.

"Yes Mom." I answered following my mother. 'Hopefully I'll have enough strength left to study for my dragon test tomorrow.' I thought to myself.

I dragged my feet back to my room after wrestling with the hatchlings in the rookery to make sure each of them was fed.

"Now I know why I said I would never baby-sit for anyone." I grumbled shutting my door. "I'm so tired, but I have to study for my dragon test tomorrow. Just an hour, I'll study for one hour, get some sleep and then wake up early and study for another hour before the test." I said walking to my desk and opening my copy of the Book of Dragons. "Chief Hiccup really made it possible for all of us to learn about dragons, rewriting the Book of Dragons so that everyone could have their own book, he really brought everyone together, dragons and people. I wish I could've been there to see it all. It must have been amazing." I said as I looked at the familiar pages of my book and stroked some dragons I really admired, especially the Night Fury. "And I imagine his Night Fury Toothless was just so incredible, to become the Alpha and beat back a Bewilderbeast, oh what I wouldn't give to have seen it. I wish I had a Night Fury." I sighed rubbing the Night Fury page. "But they're all gone, Hiccup's Night Fury was the last, so no chance, but it doesn't hurt to dream I guess."

I began to yawn and doze. I couldn't stop myself from falling asleep on my desk with my head next to the book. The next day by the Dragon Training Academy, my heart was pounding as the kids before me finished their tests and were able to choose their dragons. I walked into the arena slowly and looked at the dragons I had to choose from. A Nadder, a Zippleback, a Gronckle, and a Monstrous Nightmare. I could feel sweat starting to bead on my forehead. But I was careful, the Nightmare was already taken, so I chose the Nadder. I approached him slowly and very carefully started making my around back toward his tail.

"It's okay, I'm a friend. I'm not here to hurt you." I spoke softly trying to remember what I had to do to earn any dragons trust. Speak softly, move slowly, and do not present yourself as a threat.

It really seemed to work, he stayed calm and didn't look like he was edgy or uncomfortable. I slowly reached for his tail, but just as I was about to touch it to smooth his tail spikes down, he started going nuts. He turned on me and started chasing me around the arena, breathing fire and clawing at me like he wanted to kill me.

All at once, everyone was scrambling to get the Nadder under control and me out of there. Firewyrm jumped into the arena between me and the Nadder. Three men calmed the Nadder down and I felt the chief grab my arm and drag me out of the arena.

"Are you alright?" he asked looking concerned.

"I'm fine, just a little shaken." I said trying to calm down. "I can't believe it, I failed again. Now what do I do?" I said try to fight back the tears that were welling up in my eyes.

"Listen to me, maybe your dragon can't be found here but I know you'll find one someday." Chief Ragnar said as my Dad came running up to me.

"Agnes, are you okay?" he asked out of breathe.

"I'm alright, I just need to go home." I said trying hard not to cry. "I just need to be alone." I said walking out of the stands toward the village.

I kept going past the village and into the forest. I walked until I made it to the cove where Chief Hiccup and Toothless first met. I would always come here when I needed to be alone or just to find time to think. Sometimes when I came here I could still feel the power of the friendship they shared. I wondered how strong their friendship must have really been when they were still here. I wish I could've met them.

I sat down by the water and began to cry. I cried until I could feel my tears soak through my clothes.

"Why is it so difficult for me to find and train my own dragon? Why do the dragons hate me so much? What have I done to deserve this?" I asked myself as the tears started to dry up.

After I finally had no more tears left, I got up and started back toward the village. I could feel that my face was still hot and puffy from the tears but I didn't care. All I could think about was how I still didn't have a dragon and this was my last chance to find one here at home. Now I was going to have to wait until I was 18 to leave the island to search for my dragon somewhere else. I decided to go visit Dad at work and maybe he could help me feel a little better. I was about to go inside when I heard him talking with the chief.

"You really let this one get out of control this time Ragnar. Had it gotten any closer it could've killed her." I heard my Dad say.

"I didn't plan on it going so well, but at least now she's safe."

"For now, but you know that once she turns 18, she's going to go search for her own dragon."

"All I need is enough time to make sure that she won't be found by the Hunters."

"She's never going to give up Ragnar, sooner or later you're gonna have to tell her."

"No, it's better that she never finds out and if you really care about her, you won't tell her either." Chief Ragnar said defensively.

"Do you really think that I'm just going to blurt out that she's really your daughter and that the only reason she can't pass the dragon test is because you slip a bit of dragon root into her clothes before each test? I'm not stupid."

I felt my heart sink and my mind start to spin. But most of all, I felt hurt and betrayed. All of these things were spinning through my mind and I almost passed out where I was standing. I ran for home and up to my room and shut the door. I don't know how long I was in there, but the next time I heard anyone talk, it was Mildrith calling me down for dinner.

"Come on Honey, the chief is eating with us tonight."

"Coming." I called back.

I went down stairs feeling heavier than I had ever felt before. I sat down and smiled as best I could, but even I could feel how forced it was.

"Oh, honey I know your upset about the test today, but hey now you have all the time in the world to study up for when you can go searching on your own." Mildrith said rubbing my back.

"Yeah." I said drily.

Dinner passed with not much else to talk about, at least from me. Everyone else was talking about stuff going on in the village or about stories I had heard ever since I was little. But all I could think about was what I had heard from the man whom I had called Dad for so long and my not so truthful father. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. But then again, I guess it would explain a lot about how he was always there for me like any father would when I needed him, but I still couldn't get over all the pain and betrayal I felt knowing that he was the reason I had no dragon.

After all the food was gone, I helped Mildrith clean up and she went to feed the hatchlings with Gunnar. I sat by the window looking out over the ocean. I heard the chief sit beside me.

"Hey, I know you're upset about not being able to pass the test today. But I'll tell you what, once you turn 18, we can go look for your dragon together. We could go to Dragon Island and look there. You know, that's where I found Firewyrm. I couldn't pass the test here on the island either, but I never gave up on trying to find my dragon, and I know you won't either." He said putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks." I said not really feeling anything but anger and irritation right now.

Mildrith and Gunnar finally came back as Ragnar was beginning to tell me stories of Chief Hiccup and Toothless that he had been told by his father.

"Look I appreciate what you're trying to do but I'm just not in the mood." I said brushing him away.

"Honey, is something wrong?" Mildrith asked.

"She's probably feeling really upset about her test because this was the last chance she had to find her dragon here on the island." Ragnar answered.

"That's not entirely it, but that is a big part of it." I answered back.

"Then what has been bothering you?" he asked turning to me.

I got up and stood by the table trying to find the words to say, but in truth there really was no nicer way to put it.

"When did you plan on telling me that I was your daughter?" I said turning to face them. "Or that I have been failing my dragon tests because you have been putting dragon root in my clothes before the test?"

They all looked at me in shock. "How did you…"

"It doesn't matter how I know, the point is, from the very beginning you've all been lying to me." I said feeling the tears coming back.

"Look Agnes, everything we have done, all of it has been to protect you." Gunnar said trying to put his hand on my shoulder but I brushed him away.

"Agnes, please just listen to us…" Mildrith said stepping closer to me.

"And you," I said turning to Ragnar. ",you knew how much I wanted to be a rider, why would you do this, why would you keep the truth from me?"

"Look Agnes if there was one thing in my life that I could do over…"

"Too late!" I shouted running out the door and out of the house.

"Agnes!" I heard all of them call after me.

I just kept running deeper and deeper into the forest until I ended up at Thor's Beach. I sat down and allowed myself to cry again for the second time that day. I cried until I started to hear the wolves howl. I then started back toward the village. I didn't know what to do, I still didn't want to see them, but I didn't have anywhere else to go. I climbed up to the window of my room and jumped in. I gathered some food, medicine, bandages and a small tuft of dragon nip in my bag. I then grabbed my hooded cloak and jumped out the window and made my way to the docks.

I found the smallest ship I could and got ready to shove off. Just as I was about to cut the line and shove off, I heard Olaf walk by the boat.

"Agnes, are you okay? What are you doing?" He asked seeing me on one of the ships.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, but what I will tell you is that I'm going to find my dragon."

"What!" he asked in shock. "You know we're not allowed to go until we are 18."

"I know, but we are also told to tell the truth, but I found out tonight that everyone I know has been lying to me my entire life." I said undoing the rope. "I know I can be a great rider, and if no one's going to teach me, I'm going to figure it out myself." I said shoving off.

"Agnes, wait, you don't know what you're doing!" I heard Olaf call after me.

"I'll be back, just take care of my Mom for me while I'm gone." I called stirring the ship on course for Dragon Island.

Once I was in open ocean, I locked the tiller into place and went to check my map. 'With this wind, I'll reach Dragon Island within a day and a half.' I thought to myself.

I took a good look at the sky and saw no signs of foul weather. I went below deck to get some sleep and hoped I would be able to find my dragon before anyone could find me.

I don't know how long I was asleep, but the next thing I knew, I heard a loud rumble outside above deck. I ran out and saw a storm was heading my way. I began to panic, I couldn't stir around the storm and I didn't have a crew to help keep my ship secure. All I could do was pray to Thor and Odin that I would be able to reach Dragon Island in one piece. When the storm finally surrounded me, the wind howled and the rain was falling so fast it felt like needles where my skin wasn't covered by clothing or my cloak. I couldn't see where I was going and I couldn't go below deck to check my map because I had to hold the tiller or the ship would capsize. I could feel my hands start to blister as I held on to the tiller with what little strength I could spare while trying not to be knocked over board into the water.

The wind kept blowing harder and harder, until my ties holding my cloak ripped and my cloak was lost to the wind. But I was too scared of being lost at sea to care. I was losing strength and was I getting very tired. I could no longer feel my arms from holding the tiller against the current for so long. But I kept holding on because I didn't want to be thrown into the water. If I went in, there was no guarantee that I would survive.

But then suddenly, the main mast snapped in two and the sail with it sank into the ocean. Now I was without a sail and my ship was on the verge of collapse. Then, the worst happened, the tiller broke and the ship capsized throwing me into the ocean. I was exhausted and barely had any strength left to keep my head above water. But I kept fighting to stay on the surface. I was not going to die out here. There was too much I hadn't done yet that I wanted and felt I had to do. I began praying to Thor that he would stop this storm and let me live.

'Please, if you have any mercy in you at all, please Thor let me live.' I pleaded as I began to feel my body start to give out. My throat was starting to feel sore from all the salt water and my eyes began to feel heavy and irritated. I had no more strength left, I began to lose consciousness and blacked out in the roaring waters and towering waves. I was going to die out here at sea.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chief Ragnar paced back and forth in his house, he couldn't believe that Agnes now knew who she really was or that he had been the reason she didn't have a dragon. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Gunnar came in.

"Ragnar, she'll be okay. She just needs to clear her mind is all, she'll be back."

"I wish I could be that sure." Ragnar said sitting at the table. "Maybe Thyra was right, I should never have been so afraid that I kept her hidden from the whole world. Now because of me, she may never want to come back."

"Look, I know Agnes, she'll get over this and when she does you and her can sit down and talk things out. She'll understand." Gunnar said putting his hand on Ragnar's shoulder.

Suddenly, Olaf came bursting in through the door. "Chief, Agnes… ocean… stop her…"

"Take a breath there son, now what about Agnes?" Ragnar said getting up.

"I was just going by to see my Aunt Agatha by the docks and I saw Agnes on one of the ships and she was shoving off."

"What!" The two men shouted together.

"I tried to stop her and tell her that there was a really bad storm coming, that she couldn't go out there but she wouldn't listen and she took off."

"Gunnar, get your dragon and the other riders together, we're going after my daughter!" Ragnar shouted grabbing his helmet and flight vest. "Firewyrm, Go!" he ordered once he was in the saddle.

Gunnar was not far behind on his Rumblehorn, Tracks. "Ragnar, do you really think we'll be able to find her before the storm does?"

"We have to. She's on a ship by herself, if the storm catches her before we do, there's no way she'll survive." Ragnar said feeling his heart clinch. "I want all tracking dragons with their noses close to the water. If Agnes is out here I want her found as soon as possible. The rest of you, with me, we'll watch for her from the air. If things get too rough, head back to Berk." He ordered as the other riders came in close. 'Don't worry Agnes, we'll find you.'

(Agnes)

I opened my eyes but could barely move, my whole body hurt. I was in sand. 'Is this Valhalla?' I thought trying to move. But as I tried, I felt my muscles wince. "No, I'm still alive." I cringed rubbing my sore muscles. "But where am I?"

I got up and started walking even though my legs felt like I had been walking on needles. So it was more like a trudge, but at least I was moving and alive. I trudged along the beach and was surprised to see all the dragons everywhere. Suddenly it all made sense, I was on Dragon Island. I had reached where I wanted to go, but now I had no way to get back home.

'Well at least this means I can keep my promise to myself that I won't go back until I have my dragon.' I thought trying to stay optimistic.

I started making my way inland and looking for a dragon I thought would be perfect for me. But I remembered what I learned from the Book of Dragons. Not only must the rider choose the dragon but the dragon must also choose the rider. I kept looking and looking but all the dragons seemed either too dangerous or not interested in me.

I kept walking until I came across a hole, and I was all too familiar with what made it. It was a Whispering Death hole and I knew I was going to have to be careful. Whispering Deaths were not the friendliest dragons out there and I had no desire to get close to one right now. I kept going and was about to give up hope on finding a dragon when I saw a pool of blood on the ground. I followed the trail to a hedge and was about to turn a corner when I heard a growl. I froze, when it growls, it is not a sign to not come any closer. I was about to back away slowly when I saw a dragon that everyone said was supposed to be gone for good, it was a Night Fury and it did not look happy.

I tried to continue to back away, but I was too much in awe to even move. I took a step back but tripped on a limb on the ground and fell down flat on my back. The Night Fury growled even louder and moved closer to me.

"No, no I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, I was just leaving." I said hoping to get it to leave.

Then it turned its nose to my satchel. I had forgotten I still had it. Thank goodness I didn't lose it in the storm. I then remembered I had packed a tuft of dragon nip and brought it out slowly.

"You like that, don't you?" I said holding it out for the Night Fury to sniff. I then let him take it in its mouth and it calmed down. It was then I saw why he had been so cranky, he had some really bad gashes on his leg.

I then knew I had to help him. I got out my medicine and my bandages, wringing them out because they were still sopping wet, but at least I didn't lose them. I mixed the medicine up and started applying it to the wounds. The Night Fury hissed and cringed when it felt the effects of the medicine. "I know, it stings but it will help your leg heal and keep the wounds from getting infected." I said rubbing his neck to calm him down. I then took the bandages and started wrapping them around the leg. "There, that should hold until they can be removed and we'll see how well the medicine helped your leg." I said as the Night Fury got up and tested his leg.

He seemed happy, he gave a smile and then took off. "Well so much for thank you." I said as I started on my farther into the island. "Now, back to finding my dragon." I said as I walked through the woods.

Despite being stranded, I thought that everything looked so beautiful on Dragon Island. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt the ground start to shake and heard a sound I hoped I wouldn't, the whisper.

Suddenly the ground in front of me erupted and from it, a very large and angry looking Whispering Death sprang out. It looked at me and fired its infamous rings of fire. I dodged but just barely, because at the last second, I felt my arm burn. I ducked behind a tree and looked, my upper arm was badly burned and looked like it was melting. It hurt so much to move it but I didn't have time to think about it because the Whispering Death came at me again and I had to run.

I ran as fast as I could holding my injured arm and trying to fight back the screaming pain from it. I tripped on a branch and tried to get up but the Whispering Death surrounded me with its tail and readied to fire again. I felt that this really was the end. I closed my eyes and waited for the blast but it never came.

I heard a familiar cry and looked and saw the Night Fury flying from above and watched as it fired a blast at the dragon surrounding me. The Whispering Death uncoiled and chased the Night Fury who then landed between me and it. He growled and sent another blast hitting the Whispering Death in the face. The dragon let a shrill cry of pain and burrowed into the ground in front of us.

I was so happy that I was okay, and that the Night Fury had saved me. "I guess this was your thank you." I said holding my arm.

The Night Fury grinned. I held out my hand to touch him but he backed away. I was about to give up when I remembered something I had learned in basic training. It's all about trust. I closed my eyes and held out my hand again, this time turning my head away. I felt a warm touch in my hand and looked and saw the Night Fury had trusted me now too. We both looked into each other's eyes. At that point I knew I had found my dragon.

The Night Fury turned and offered me to climb onto his back. I held my arm and climbed on. He took off gently and started flying to the farther side of the island. When we landed, he showed me to his cave. I was curious why he would bring me here, but then a small clap of thunder from far off answered my question. The storm was coming back. We went into the cave and settled down to wait out the storm for the night.

As I sat down, my arm started to hurt again. I cringed and reached for my satchel but it wasn't there. I must have dropped it when I was running from the Whispering Death, now I had no medicine to treat my burns. All at once the Night Fury curled around me and licked my burned arm. As gross as it felt, the pain was already starting to fade.

"Thanks Bud." I said rubbing his head. "I need to think of a name for you. You were strong out there today, that's it, Angus, you like that name?" The Night Fury looked at me like he thought I was crazy but he started to purr. "I guess you do." I said as I kept rubbing his head. He really seemed to like it.

I leaned against his side and felt him place his wing over me. For the first time in forever, I felt so happy and secure. I dozed off listening to Angus' heartbeat. It was a soothing sound.

(Ragnar)

Ragnar's eyes started getting heavy, they had flown through the storm and flown all night, but still no sign of Agnes. Many had already gone back to rest their dragons, others were telling him there was no way that Agnes could've survived on her own in that, but they said that as long as he wanted they would stay and help him keep searching. Ragnar was happy that there were still some who cared, though doubted, at least they would stay by his side. But that didn't help with the fear that perhaps his daughter really was gone forever, but he couldn't let himself think that way.

'Even it takes 'til Ragnarok, I will search until I find her.' He thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Ingrid, the best Nadder rider on Berk and the dragon trainer in Agnes' class, yell.

"Chief, you may want to see this!" she called out from below close to the surface of the water.

Ragnar flew in close and saw what she was holding. "Agnes' cloak." He said in fear.

"Sir, that doesn't necessarily mean what you're thinking. It may have just been lost in the wind when she got caught in the storm." Ingrid said trying to ease the chief's mind. "If anything, she's just stranded at sea. I know her, she was one of my best students in dragon training. She's too stubborn not to have made it."

"You're right." Ragnar said clutching the ragged cloak close to him. "We fly close to the water." He ordered to the rest of the remaining search party. 'Don't worry Agnes, I will find you. I will not let you down like I did your mother all those years ago.' He thought to himself with his vigor restored. If his daughter was alive, he would do everything to bring her home, even move the heavens and the earth with his bare hands.

"Chief, I think Frigg's got a sniff!" Ingrid called again with Frigg flying faster and faster.

"Ragnar, we're getting pretty far out to sea." Gunnar said flying alongside Ragnar.

"I know, but like I'm gonna let that stop me. No matter what it takes, I will find her." Ragnar answered. "We've come this far, the least we can do is see this through to the end."

"Sir, look!" Thugfist called out.

Just on the horizon, they could see Dragon Island. Everyone looked in Ingrid's direction and saw that Frigg was flying faster and faster in that direction. Agnes had to be on that island, if she was alive, that's where she would've gone.

"Soon Agnes." Ragnar whispered to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I woke up in a warm, scaly embrace. I moved a bit and it relaxed its hold. Suddenly I was flooded with light. Angus let me up and I looked at my arm, it was almost better.

"Wow, they weren't kidding when they said Night Fury saliva has incredible healing properties. Thanks Bud." I said rubbing his head.

All at once, my stomach started to growl. Angus looked at me with a silly grin on his face. "I know, it's funny, I'm just hungry. What about you?"

In answer to my question, Angus stood up and let me on his back. "Guess you and I are going hunting for breakfast." I said letting myself up slowly onto his back.

Angus took off out of the cave and we flew out toward the ocean. I saw a school of fish just under the surface of the water, Angus fired one blast and the fish went flying. He caught several in his mouth and we flew back to the island.

We landed on the beach and Angus dropped one of the fish in my hand. "Thanks Bud." I wasn't too crazy about eating it raw, so I built a small fire and cooked it as best I could. Angus sat behind me and ate his catch one at a time. As I ate my fish, I couldn't stop thinking about how everyone must have been worried and out looking for me. I felt guilty making them worry like I must have, but at least now I had a way to get home. On the horizon, I saw figures flying over the water. As I looked a little harder, I recognized who it was.

It was Ragnar and Gunnar, along with half the village flying closer and closer to the island. I guess I would have to explain myself sooner than later. Angus started to growl and curled around me.

"It's okay Angus, they're friends." I said calming him down.

Ragnar and Gunnar landed on the beach first and they raced toward me. When they reached me, they crushed me in their hugs and they were both speaking at the same time asking me if I was alright and what I was thinking. When I could finally get my two cents in, Angus nudged his way between us and growled telling them to back off.

"Is that a…" Gunnar said staring in bewilderment.

"I think it is." Ragnar answered.

"Ragnar, Gunnar, Angus. Angus, Gunnar and Ragnar." I said introducing everyone to my new friend.

Everyone couldn't believe their eyes and I couldn't blame them. Night Furies were supposed to be extinct, and yet here was one now and he was my new dragon and my new friend.

"Agnes, how did you find him?" Ingrid asked me.

"I found him in the forest, he was wounded," I said pointing to the bandage in his leg. "I treated it as best I could, but I'm gonna need to get some more medicine and change out his bandages." I said rubbing his leg.

"So, are you going to come home?" Ragnar asked.

"Yes, but I'm not coming home for you. I'm doing it for him." I said still feeling a little bitter about the fact that he and Gunnar had lied to me for so long, but right now all that mattered to me was that I had to get back to Berk and give Angus' leg further treatment.

Angus wasn't too thrilled with the idea about going to my home island. "It's okay Bud, you don't have to worry about back home. Trust me, everyone's going to love you." I said as we flew home.

I had no saddle so Ingrid gave me some rope to use until we could get me a saddle. I held on as best I could without hurting Angus. Other than the rope being a little rough, he seemed otherwise alright. We flew on for a few hours and when we finally reached the village, I took Angus straight to Hildegard, the village elder and healer.

She also was surprised to see Angus, but none the less, she gave me the medicine and bandages I needed. I took Angus to the cove to get him away from all the people whom I had no doubt would be swarming us once word got around that I had a Night Fury for my dragon. Angus settled down by the water and sat still as I undid the bandages as gently as I could and applied a new dose of the medicine and wrapped new bandages on his leg. He purred as he felt the effects of the medicine.

"Yeah, it feels good doesn't it?" I said settling down next him.

He turned toward me and gave a lick across my arm where my burns were almost healed. I smiled at him and he smiled at me. I laid back against his side and listened to his heartbeat again.

"My great grandfather had a Night Fury as a best friend too you know. They say that when they were together, nothing could stand in their way. Maybe you and I will be like that someday." I said rubbing his wounded leg as he purred.

I could feel myself getting tired. I let my eyes close and I drifted off. I could feel Angus put his wing over me and hear him start to purr as he fell asleep too. Now I knew how Chief Hiccup felt when he was with Toothless. Because I felt it too, safe and secure with my best friend whom I could trust no matter what. And I hoped I could always feel like this with Angus. I couldn't wait to introduce him to Olaf, I was too excited to see his reaction to the fact that there is another Night Fury.

I was woken up by the sound of Angus growling and I could feel his wing tighten around me. At my protest, he let me out and I saw what had startled him. It was Olaf, he had landed on the opposite side of the cove and was running toward me. When he and I met, he hugged me tight enough I thought he was going to crush me.

"Agnes I'm so happy you're alive. I thought I was never going to see you again." He said when he finally let me go. "Where have you been?"

"Well, you know…" I said turning toward Angus.

Angus got up and walked over to meet us. Olaf got a look on his face like he was ready to faint.

"Whoa, is that… no way it can't be…" he stammered.

"Yep, this is my dragon and my new best friend, Angus. He is a Night Fury." I said rubbing his head.

"But, they're supposed to be… everyone said that they were…" he continued to stammer.

"Yeah, I know. But here he is." I said finishing for him. "Look, I know I hurt you when I left and I should have listened to you. I was just mad and hurt. I'm sorry for making you worry so much." I apologized to him.

In answer to my apology, I could feel Olaf squeezing the life out of me again. "It's okay, Gunnar told me everything. I can't believe it, you're chief Ragnar's daughter." He said looking at me like he had just met me for the first time.

"Yeah. I've been having a hard time wrapping my head around that too. Although mostly what I've been feeling is angry and hurt."

"Look, they did it to protect you…"

"If it were just that I wouldn't blame them but it's the fact that they were all the reasons that I couldn't pass the test each year. They knew how much being a dragon rider meant to me and yet they were blatantly sabotaging me." I ranted. "Hiding my true heritage is one thing, but deliberately keeping me from doing the one thing that I have wanted to do my whole life and lying to me, what was I to do?" I went on almost in tears. "I'm not even sure I want to go back yet. The only reason I came back was to get more medicine and fresh bandages for Angus."

"Look Agnes, I know you're upset, but you can't just run away from who you are or from your family. It's not like they withheld the truth out of spite, they were just trying to protect you. Odin knows I would have done the same thing if I were in your father's place, especially after he lost your mother." Olaf said holding me in a gentler hug.

"I just don't know what to do anymore." I sobbed into his vest.

"Well, first thing we need to do is get you into dragon training. You have your dragon now, so now all you have to do is train him." Olaf said helping me feel better.

He was right, I had my dragon now, and all I had to do was graduate from the training academy. Easy as pie, right?

Angus and I were nervous when we walked up to the entrance of the academy. I had never gotten this far before and I knew that Angus was nervous because he had never been around so many people before and this was more or less making him feel a little on edge. Even when I tried to assure him that no one was going to hurt him, he refused to let anyone too close to us. Ingrid promised that she could help me help him settle down. Of course, there were some kids who were giving me the skunk eye. I wasn't sure if it was because of what I did, or despite the fact that I broke the rules and went to Dragon Island before I turned eighteen I still managed to find a dragon and was now in dragon training. Whatever the reason, I had my own problems to deal with, and they did not include having to deal with my fellow peers ugly looks.

Keeping my eyes forward, I followed Ingrid as she talked us through dragon training. Angus seemed to pick it so much faster than the other dragons, the Book of Dragons wasn't exaggerating about a Night Fury's intelligence. It was getting him to accept a saddle that was the hard part. He would still let me on his back, but he refused to wear a saddle. When Angus rejected the saddle again for the, like, the millionth time, some of the other riders started murmuring and smirking at me. I tried not to pay attention, but some of the stuff they were saying was starting to get to me. Thankfully, lessons for the day ended before I lost my head and did something I would regret.

Angus and I were about to ride out when one of the kids, a big brawn of a kid named Barren, cornered me by the exit.

"Bet you think you're really something, you runaway and you just come back with a Night Fury expecting us to fall all over." He taunted me.

"You don't know what you're talking about. And if you knew everything that I have been through the past few days, you wouldn't be here talking to me right now about this." I said back trying to keep Angus from lunging at him.

"You know you'll never be a real rider. You may have a dragon now, but you'll never have what it takes to be a dragon rider." He smirked before trying to leave.

"Hey!" I yelled stopping in front of him. "No one tells me what I can or can't be!" I said seeing Angus position himself behind me.

"No, you just break every rule we were told to obey and almost get yourself killed to prove that you can be something you were never meant to be." He snapped back. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave the academy and send that dragon back where you found it. Maybe someday it'll find someone who can actually keep it under control."

"I have him under control." I said gritting my teeth.

"Really, you can't even get him to wear a saddle. What make you think he won't go and burn down the village next because you didn't have what it took to keep him under control." Barren jabbed at me.

"Angus would never do that."

"How can you be so sure? You think that just because he followed you all the way here, he's gonna listen you? You're even dumber than that blacksmith kid."

At that point I lost it. I swung at him and knocked him across the face. His dragon made a move for me and Angus lunged at him. Barren and I probably would have escalated things if we weren't more concerned with our dragons tearing each other apart. We broke them up just as Ingrid and Ragnar came running.

"What is going on here?" Ragnar demanded.

"Why not ask her? She the one who started it." Barren said pointing at me with his nose bleeding.

"What? No, this was all you, you're the one…"

"Enough!" Ragnar quieted us. "I don't care who started it. I'm finishing it. I do not want to see anymore fighting, especially among riders and their dragons. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir." We answered sending each other glares.

Ingrid escorted Barren and his dragon away while Ragnar held me back.

"Anges, what was going on? What were you thinking picking fights here?"

"It wasn't me, he started it and like you said, it doesn't matter. It's over." I said shrugging him off.

"Agnes, look, I know you're still mad at me. You're right, what I did was foolish, but I just," he sighed. "I don't know how I can possibly make it up to you, but know that not a day goes by where I do not wish that I could start over give you that chance you wanted."

I got on Angus and looked back at him. "You can stay out of my way and just let me learn to do what you should have let me learn from the beginning." I said as Angus took off.

I knew I had hurt him, but I still wasn't feeling it to forgive him. He may have had his reasons, but he still lied to me. But I guess, if it weren't for all that, I wouldn't have met Angus. I had Angus turn around and raced back to the academy. He was just about to get on Firewyrm when I jumped off Angus and raced toward him. When I reached him, I threw my arms around him in a hug as I started to cry.

"I'm sorry." I sobbed. "You were just trying to protect me, I just, I wasn't,"

"I know." He said hugging me back. "Me too. Does this mean you forgive me, Agnes?" he asked looking at me.

"I just want to go home," I said wiping my tears. "My real home, Dad."

My father smiled and we started to hug again. I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that, but all I knew at that moment was that I never wanted that moment to end.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

In the weeks that followed me and my father making up, things seemed to get better. Ingrid and I were finally able to convince Angus to wear a saddle, and then everything just fell into place. Angus and I blew right past everyone else in dragon training and we had already won several dragon races. Of course, Barren was always there to shot me a dirty look every once in a while, but he never tried to pick another fight with me. Probably because he learned that not all girls hit like girls. But Angus and I were too happy to care about what Barren or anyone else who seemed mad at us thought. Soon, graduation came around and Angus and I graduated at the top of our class. That night, Dad and I celebrated by taking on of our father/daughter flights around Berk.

"I'm so proud of you, Agnes." He said as we passed Raven Point. "Your mother would be proud of you too."

"Dad, I need to know what happened to Mom." I said as we landed by Lars Lake. "I know you said she was killed by hunters, but I want to know what happened that day."

Dad seemed a little weighed down with what I was asking. But he sighed and sat down with me with his arm around my shoulder.

"First thing you need to know, Agnes, and this is important, not everyone thinks that we should live with dragons the way we do. Some think that they are just dangerous animals that should be hunted to extinction, and others see them as a means for business. Several years ago, your mother and I got caught in the middle of a fight with dragon hunters. We were trying to save the dragons they were trying to capture. We were able to drive the hunters back and relocate the dragons we saved, but what we didn't know was that in doing so, we would catch the attention of their leader. He heard about people like us who rode dragons, and saw all of them a threat to his business. Not long after our first encounter with them, they arrived on our shores looking to wipe us out. While the hunters did have some impressive weaponry, they were still no match for us and the dragons. I was relieved when it was over, but that was because I didn't know yet what had become of your mother in that fight. She had been killed trying to protect her dragon from hunters who had shot them out of the sky. Learning of her death, I feared that they had gotten to you, but to this day I still thank Thor that they never thought to search our house, otherwise they would have found you and I would have lost everything."

Dad had tears in his eyes after finishing the story. I never thought I would see him, of all people cry. Him, Chief Ragnar the Fierce, the biggest and strongest of us on Berk. While I was sure I took after my mother in the physique department, being a rather petite size at age 17, I could now understand why he had been so determined to hide me by having Gunnar and Mildrith raise me and keep me from passing the dragon test. If hunters had caught me riding any dragon, let alone a Night Fury, he would have lost me just like Mom. I hugged him and promised him that I wasn't going anywhere. He hugged me back and said that we should probably start heading back to the village. He had chiefing to do and he was sure that Angus and I had plans with some of the friends we had made at the academy. We flew back and we went our separate ways. I met up with Olaf and some of the other kids from the academy.

There was Brynhild, who was remarkably strong girl who wore her long blonde hair in a high ponytail, a head band around her head, a breastplate, and a chainmail skirt with an axe strapped to her back. She rode a Deadly Nadder she named Brightwing. Magnus, a bit of a hot head, brawny kid with short, thick black hair and wore bear skin vest over a fitted red tunic. He rode a Monstrous Nightmare he named Fenrir. The dragon brainiac of our group, Trygve, a husky kid with shoulder length blonde hair that he kept in a ponytail. He wore a short tunic and a long brown bear skin vest. Under that vest, he wore a belt of pockets where he kept his dragon cards, some herbs and snacks. He rode a Gronkle he named Horrorcow. And then there was the twins, who never seemed to agree on anything, Ivar and Hilde. Both twins had long blonde hair. Hilde had her hair in two braids she kept behind her shoulders while Ivar dreadlocked his. Hilde wore a blue dress tunic with a mountain lion skin vest, over which she wore a belt that carried her sling shot. Ivar wore a long green tunic with short yak skin vest. Attached to his belt, he also kept a sling shot. They rode a Zippleback, Hilde riding the gas head she called Puker, and Ivar rode the spark head he called Burpy. Then there was me and Olaf on our dragons.

Ivar and Hilde had the idea of racing around the island, but Magnus wanted to have 'test your strength contest with our dragons. No way was that going to happen. Ultimately, it was Brynhild who convinced all of us to head to dragon island. Not sure entirely what she was planning, but knowing her, it was definitely had something to do with battle tactics and training ourselves and our dragons for combat. Which me and Olaf would have been fine with since after we graduate from dragon training, we move on to training to be defenders of Berk. Brynhild putting us through some of her training wouldn't have been a bad idea. By the time we got there, it was starting to get dark, and Byrnhild didn't waste time telling us how our exercise was going to go.

"Wait a minute, who put you in charge of us?" Magnus said getting off Fenrir.

"No one, it would just be a good idea to get ready for defender training." Brynhild said with her hand on her hips.

"If no one's in charge, then who supposed to call the shots?" Ivar asked scratching his head.

"Yeah, a house without a foundation is bound to fall." Trygve said giving his two cents.

"Trygve is right, someone needs to be in charge of our training group." Olaf said gesturing to all of us.

"Well, who do you think it should be, Olaf?" I asked him getting off Angus. Olaf then looked at me. "Oh no, whatever you're thinking about saying, stop thinking it."

"Come on Agnes, if anyone was qualified enough to lead us it would be you." He urged.

"He's right, Agnes, you're the best rider in our class, and you're the chief's daughter. Sooner or later you're gonna need to lead." Brynhild agreed with him.

"Yeah, Agnes, it only makes sense that you should be the one to lead our team." Trygve chimed in.

"But I've never even lead a parade. What makes you think I won't screw this up?" I argued.

"I think Barren has started getting into your head. That's the thing about being a leader, you learn how to be one on the job." Brynhild laughed.

"No, Agnes is right. She could never be a leader." Magnus taunted me.

"Oh yeah." I said marching in front of him.

"You said it yourself, not me."

"I never said I couldn't. But since you seem to think you're so much better than me, I'll show what kind of leader I can really be." I said mounting Angus. "Brynhild, give us the rundown of your exercise idea." I ordered her.

Brynhild grinned and told me of her idea to work our way to the cave on the other side of the island without our dragons. Of course the majority of us weren't totally pleased with the idea, but I had to give her my support. Ivar took the dragons to the cave to make sure that the dragons wouldn't try to help us.

"What exactly is the point of this again?" Magnus groaned.

"To sharpen our stealth skills and work on our wild dragon defense." Brynhild answered.

"She's right, we already know how strong we are with our dragons, but we need to learn to be able to survive and defend ourselves if we ever get separated from them." I answered.

Of course, Trygve thought he should be the one to go with the dragons, but Ivar got ahead of him. Angus was not very willing to let me go without him, or vise versa, but I managed to convince him to go with Ivar. Each of us went our separate ways and started making our ways to the cave that Brynhild told us about. I was nervous about scouting through Dragon Island after what happened the last time I was there, but I had to keep moving. I still couldn't believe they had talked me into being the leader. I kept trying not to think about all the ways that I could screw it up, but I just to remember what Dad told me when I freaked out bout knowing that I was going to have to be chief one day.

"No leader is perfect." I breathed to myself as I hiked through the forest. "All the great leaders learn to be great along the way."

I kept telling myself that as I kept heading the cave Brynhild had told us about. All that time, I kept getting the feeling that something or someone was watching me. As eerie as it was, I knew that stopping would only make me an even easier target. So I kept going not wanting to risk a look behind me. Just as I was about to reach the beach to the cave, I felt the ground start to rumble. I lost my balance and fell over just as the ground in front of me erupted. From it came the Whispering Death Angus saved me from the day we met. I recognized him because he was a missing an eye from where Angus shot him in face. He looked at me and I knew he was mad, at me. It wasted no time trying barbeque me, thankfully, I was faster than last time and started running back into the forest.

I wasn't sure to do at that moment, from what remembered, dragons could really carry a grudge and this one was clearly in no mood to bury hatchet any time soon. All I could do was keep running and hope that I didn't get caught. I managed to give it the slip by hiding in a hollowed tree trunk and then started running for the beach again. I made it to the cave out of breath.

"Agnes, where were you?" Olaf asked as I tried to catch my breath.

Agnus let me lean against him for support. "I, I, I was almost here, but a, a, a," I kept gasping.

"Agnes, breathe." Olaf said as I kept trying to talk and catch my breath.

I took a few deep breathes and could finally talk again. "I was almost here when a Whispering Death surprised me at the edge of the forest. I was able to give it the slip and make my way here, but I don't know how long it'll stay gone. We need to get out of here." I explained brushing a few strands of hair out of my face. I seriously needed to cut my hair when we got back.

"A Whispering Death, cool." Hilde grinned.

"I want to see it." Ivar agreed. "They're so cool."

"You're still gonna think that they're cool if this one tears us limb from limb." I barked at them.

"I won't, for sure." Trygve said quickly climbing onto Horrorcow. "I'm with Agnes, we should go."

"All right, everyone, let mount up and get out of here." I said instructing everyone to their dragons.

Everyone else made it out okay, but before Angus and I could get out, we were ambushed by the Whispering Death. Angus shot it in the face again, which I'm sure only made it madder. But the disorientation gave him and me enough time to catch up with the others.

"What is with you and that dragon?" Magnus asked.

"Yeah, it definitely looked like it had it out for you and Angus." Trygve said as we flew home.

"That was the Whispering Death that attacked me and Agnus when we first met. When I found Angus, his leg was badly hurt, slashed pretty bad. My guess is they were already after each other before I showed up. But then I arrived and Angus shot one of its eyes protecting me." I explained feeling my body shaking.

"So now it's going to be after Angus and you?" Olaf asked sounding concerned.

"I wouldn't doubt it. Dragons can really hold a grudge." I answered rubbing my head.

"Don't I know it." Magnus sad looking at Fenrir. Fenrir then flamed up and Magnus started screaming.

The rest of us found it kind of funny, the relationship Magnus had with Fenrir. Though they did care about each other, they fought like a couple of little kids. We arrived back on Berk late and we were all, us and the dragons, pretty tired. We all went home and tried to catch some shut eye. I fell asleep quick enough, but I was woken up by Angus growling.

"Angus, go back to sleep." I groaned groggily.

The next morning, Dad called us to the village plaza and we saw a huge hole in the middle of the plaza. It wasn't just a hole, it was a Whispering Death hole. Angus seemed especially upset. The other riders arrived just as the Whispering Death from Dragon Island erupted from the ground.

"Are you kidding me?" I cried. "It followed us all the way here. Everybody, get to your dragons!" I yelled.

But as I tried to get on Angus' saddle, he roughly shrugged me off. I was completely confused. Angus had never done that before. Not only that, but he roared back at the other dragons as if telling them to back off. Angus and the Whispering Death engaged each other in the air and during the scuffle, Angus got a spine in the leg. Thank Thor, before he could finish Angus off, the sun peeked out of the clouds and the Whispering Death was chased back into its hole.

"Oh no, you're hurt." I gasped seeing Angus with the spine in his leg. He let me pull it out but then he took off and perched on a ledge overlooking the direction the Whispering Death went.

"What is Angus doing?" Brynhild asked me.

"Probably finding a place to lick his wounds." Magnus laughed.

"It's not funny, Magnus, Angus could've been killed." I yelled at him.

"What do you think was going out there with him?" Trygve asked. "It looked like Angus wanted that dragon all to himself, he wouldn't even let you on him."

"I don't know." I answered. "These two clearly have been at each other for a long time before he ever even met him."

"Are we going to be tested on this because I am completely confused." Ivar asked.

"Don't look at me." Hilde answered her brother.

Out of nowhere, the ground erupted behind us and the Whispering Death lunged at me. Angus swooped in and grabbed me out of the way. He then dropped me by my father and Firewyrm. The two dragons were at each other again, this time the fight took them into the forest. Dad gave me a ride on Firewyrm as we led the other riders to follow Angus. The Whispering Death had him cornered at the cliffs overlooking Thor's Beach. I jumped off Firewyrm and tried to get to Angus, but he blew a plasma blast at my feet, as he didn't want me to help him. But the Whispering Death used his distraction to lodge another spine into his shoulder, just missing his wings.

"Angus, no!" I shouted running to the edge of the cliff. As I looked over the edge, I knew what I had to do. I locked eyes with Angus and he saw me take one step off the cliff.

I heard my Dad and my friends scream for me. But all my thoughts were on what my dragon would do next. I had to know, was his vendetta with this Whispering Death more important to him than me. I got my answer when he jumped after me not even a second later and I landed in the saddle.

"You saved me, I save you, that's the way it is." I said as we worked together to chase the Whispering Death back.

Angus managed to pin him down and could've finished him, but instead, he just roared at him and let him go. The Whispering Death just took off with no sign that it was going to try and take a cheap shot. I guess whatever was going on with them, Angus called it off. That night, I got an earful from my Dad about what I was thinking, jumping off the cliff. Angus didn't seem too pleased with my choice of action either, but thankfully, both of them were more happy to have things back to normal after all that happened that day. The next day, me and several other riders spent most of the day filling in the holes the Whispering Death had made. When Angus and I came home, Dad still wasn't back, but Angus and I appreciated the peace and quite.

"I knew you would always have my back, Bud, no matter what." I told Angus scratching his chin. "And you should know that no matter what happens, I will always have yours."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A few weeks after graduating from dragon training, it was time for us to begin our defensive training. Brynhild, Olaf, Magnus and I all seemed to get it faster and more naturally than the twins and Trygve. But we all had things we needed to improve and work on. When we weren't training or flying with our dragons, I was still working with Mildrith at the rookery, and Olaf was working at the blacksmith's shop. But in the time we were training, Magnus was trying both impressively and annoyingly to impress me, of course, there was no way I was interested in him at all. Just the thought of even considering being his girlfriend made me dry heave. Not that the hints I would drop him made it through that thick skull of his, so all I could do was push him away as he moved in on me.

Today, however, that was proving to be easier said than done. Especially since my dad had asked all the riders to patrol Berk and any of the surrounding islands for hunters. Magnus and I were just off Dragon Island when I saw him sending his nauseating goo-goo eyes.

"What is it?" I asked him feeling completely uncomfortable.

"I just find it interesting that you chose me to be your partner on this hunter patrol." He grinned at me.

"Brynhild had first pick." I said referring to Olaf. "And Trygve had second pick." I said again referring to the twins. "And everyone else was already taken."

"If that's what you need to believe, just keep telling yourself that, Agnes." He said clearly oblivious to the fact that he was the absolute last person I would ever pick. "Point is, here we are, together, alone."

"Not alone enough." I muttered under my breath.

Magnus and I finished patrolling Dragon Island and went to meet everyone else at the rendezvous point. We were the first ones there, but when no one showed up for almost half an hour, I got the feeling that something was wrong.

"You don't see anyone, do you?" I asked turning around only to see Magnus way too far in on my personal space.

"All I see is that we're alone, again." He smiled at me. "Coincidence, perhaps."

"Are you for real?" I groaned.

"Maybe a little too real." He purred. "Had to happen eventually, babe. With everything we do as riders and defenders of the archipelago, the danger was bound to bring us together."

"You've been flying in the thin air again, haven't you?" I said feeling like he had to have been completely out of it for him to believe he was ever going to win me over with his antics. Out of nowhere, I felt him grab my hand.

"Life, so fragile." He said kneeling in front of me, holding my hand. I twisted it, breaking my hand free.

"And so is your arm." I said as he cried out in pain. "We need to go and find the other riders, they may need our help."

"I get it, you don't trust yourself alone with Magnus." Magnus called after me.

I threw a rock at him, hitting his head and knocking him off his feet. I then climbed onto Angus and Magnus was not far behind us. We flew on going north following the direction that Olaf said he and Brynhild said they would be in. By the time we caught up with them, Angus and Fenrir started to look pretty tired, but that wasn't even the worst part. Olaf, Brynhild, the twins and Trygve were being attacked by dragon hunters off the coast off Fireworm Island. Magnus and I flew in to help event he odds, unfortunately, the hunters managed to get the upper hand when they took down Brynhild, Trygve, the twins, Olaf, and their dragons. Fenrir took an arrow to the shoulder and would have been captured by the hunters with Magnus if Angus and I had grabbed them before they could plummet into the sea.

"Agnes, we need to get out of here!" he yelled as he pulled the arrow from Fenrir's shoulder.

I looked back and saw our entire team being dragged below deck.

"Agnes!" Magnus shouted as another arrow zipped passed me.

"Angus, get us out of here!" I said as we carried Magnus and Fenrir back to Berk.

When we got back, my Dad was waiting for us, asking us what happened and where the rest of our team was. After we told him what happened, he sent for Hildegard asking for the dragon root antidote. All I could think about at the time was the fact that our entire team was now in the hands of the hunters and Thor only knows what they were going to do to them, let alone their dragons. I sat down by Angus as he settled down on the academy floor by Fenrir. Angus was exhausted, and Fenrir was going to need time to rest after taking the antidote.

"Dad, we have to go after them." I pleaded with him before he left the academy.

"No, Agnes." He stopped me. "Myself and the Berk Guard will go after them. You and the other riders are not ready for a fight like this."

"But Dad,"

"You and Magnus will stay here, that's an order." He told me before marching off.

I started to fume a little bit. All this time and he still doesn't think I can handle myself, even after everything that I have been through. But then, I had to think, all those times, I was trying to prove something to him or someone else. It's why I ran away and found Angus, it's why my team was able to talk me into being their leader, it's why I had to stop and think of a way to get my friends back. I had to get them back, not to prove what I can or can't do, but because they were my team and they needed me. I ran home and started going through my great grandfather's old memoirs, which I had been borrowing from the library for a while now, hoping that something in them would help me come up with a plan to help get Olaf and the others back from the hunters. I kept reading as I went back to the academy and came across one of his entries.

" _I don't think any of us could have been prepared for the past couple of days. First, Astrid goes missing all day and when we found her, she told us that she and Stormfly had been attacked by dragon hunters. The hunters had Stormfly and we had to find them quickly to get her back. Thank Thor an arrow we found on the beach where Stormfly was taken pointed us in the direction we should go. First we had to search the Reaper, and while we didn't find anything that would tell us where to go at first, we did find another Dragon Eye lens. For this lens to work, we had to go to Changewing Island and milk acid from a Changewing. Not the wisest of moves on our part, but it was the only way we were going to get this new lens to show us anything. Oddly enough, thanks to Tuffnut, we were able to get enough acid from a Changewing. What the lens had to show us was a map of a hunter port. So now we knew where to go, but we still had the problem with the hunters' dragon root arrows. But I did have a plan in mind for how we were going to handle that and it involved Fishlegs and Meatlug taking one for the team. Unfortunately, the hunters knew more than I thought because just as it looked like we were home free, the leader, Ryker, managed to capture everyone except for me and Snotlout. There was no way we could close enough to free the others, so we had to retreat and regroup._

 _"_ _After a night's rest, Hookfang seemed to be better, but we still had to go after the hunters to get Astrid and the others back and their dragons. At first I wasn't sure how we were going to get close with the dragon root arrows, but then I remembered something about a dragon I hadn't seem in a while. It us a while to find the island, but finally we arrived at the Screaming Death island. Of course he didn't react as well as I thought he would, considering we reunited him with his mother, but it all worked out in the end because we were able to find and gather up enough of his old scales to create armor to keep the dragons protected from the arrows. Then it was all a matter of finding where the hunters were heading next. When we finally tracked them down, the armor did the trick and we were able to keep the hunters busy long enough for the others to get to their dragons and escape. But as with all things I have ever dealt with, the bad news just kept on coming, and I say this because while were dealing with the hunters, I saw Dagur on the hunter's ship working with them and apparently Heather is working with them now too. I can't understand why, but right now, all I'm worried about is the fact that this was most likely just the beginning. Because I'm sure we have not seen the last of the hunters."_

Reading this entry gave me an idea of how we were going to get closer to get our friends back. But I couldn't tell my Dad about it because I knew he would try to stop me from going after them, plus at the moment, he most likely busy planning what to do with the Berk Guard. But there was no time for planning. After letting Angus rest for a while, he and I flew off for Screaming Death island. If my great grandfather was right, then Screaming Death scales would be just the thing he and I needed to keep from getting taken down by the hunter's arrows. After some hard flying, Angus and I arrived and hoped that the Screaming Death out. As we flew through the tunnels, we kept an eye out for old scales. Thank Odin, we found more than enough. Grabbing as many as we could carry, Angus and I flew as fast as we could out of the tunnels. Unfortunately, just as we were making it out, we ran into the Screaming Death as he was coming back.

"Oh my gods!" I yelled as we flew trying to keep from being snatched in the behemoth's jaws. "Angus, to the clouds!" I instructed him as I held on to the scales as best I could.

Thank Thor we were able to lose him in the clouds and land safely on another island to get to work. Just as I was about to get Angus' armor together I heard someone approaching from behind.

"You know you could've waited and I would have been able to show you a better way to get those scales." I heard Magnus say as he landed with Fenrir. "Now if you will allow me, I can get those scales fashioned into armor for both our dragons."

"No, Magnus." I said trying to stop him. "I appreciate the help, but the hunters have already captured the majority of my team, I'm not going to risk them capturing you too."

"Awe, you do care." He said wiggling his eyebrows at me. I gagged. "But as much as I'm sure you would love to keep me out of danger because I know you're in love with me, you're going to need all the dragon fire power you can get if you're going to stand a chance against those hunters, or at getting the others back."

As much as I hated to admit it, except for the past about how I felt about him, he was right. Angus was powerful. But alone, even a Night Fury wouldn't stand a chance against a ship full of hunters. So, without much more argument, I let Magnus take over on getting the Screaming Death armor together. And, I had to admit, he was good. He really had a hand for needle point. Once the armor was ready, the next thing we had to do was find out where the hunters were going. As we headed for Fireworm Island, I was hoping to find something that the hunters would have left behind that would point us in the right direction. But, thank the gods, it wasn't something, it was someone. Apparently even after capturing our friends, the hunters were still after the Fireworms, or maybe the queen. Either way, we were going to let that happen, and that hunter was going to tell us where his team was taking ours. It didn't take much more than Angus baring his teeth and Fenrir flaming up for him to crack.

"The ship left this morning heading for the base. After that, I don't know where." He confessed looking like he was about to wet himself.

"Now that wasn't so hard now, was it?" Magnus sneered as he had Fenrir pick him up and drop him in the ocean.

"Guess we're in for a long flight." I said getting on Angus. "Come on, we've lost too much time already. We have to get to the them before they get to the base."

Magnus and I flew off heading for the hunter's base. It took most of the day, but with the sky getting dark, that would've given me and Magnus a little bit more advantage. Thankfully, we found them not far from Melody Island. Magnus and I flew in fast and hard and drew the hunters' fire. In doing so, the chaos from the ship being torn apart made it easier for Olaf and the others to escape with their dragons. After sinking the ship, we started the long flight back to Berk. By the time we got back, it was really late and the dragons were exhausted. Olaf and the others said that they were alright, just tired. As we all made our way back to our homes, Angus and I ran into my dad who was waiting for us when we opened the door. He didn't say anything at first, but as I was about to head up to my room, that's when he decided to talk.

"I don't like that you disobeyed me, Agnes, but I can admit when I was wrong." He said looking up at me. "What you did was both brave and something any chief would have done for his people. I shouldn't have told you not to do what you had to to save your team. I was just being a father."

"I understand, Dad." I replied.

"Now, where did you get the idea to use Screaming Death scales for armor?" he asked.

"Well, I guess you could say I had great grandfather Hiccup to thank." I said pulling out the journal I had read. "I've been reading great grandfather's memoirs to help me learn how to be a better leader for my team."

"If he were here today, I'm sure he would have been very proud of you." Dad said smiling up at me.

I smiled back and went upstairs to go to bed. But much like great grandfather Hiccup when he first ran into the hunters, I had a sinking feeling that we had not seen the last of the dragon hunters.

In the weeks since our first run in the hunters, things seemed to take a dip on the cheery side and I was pretty sure why. My birthday was coming up and it was the first one since it became known that I was Chief Ragnar's daughter. I wasn't sure what to expect, but as I was heading to the Great Hall to meet up with Trygve to update the Book of Dragons, Agnus surprised me outside the door and herded me toward the forest.

"Is something wrong, Bud?" I asked following him.

He continued to lead me through the forest until we came to the cove. As I was about to make my way down, Angus put his tail in front of my face, as is he were telling me to close my eyes.

"Okay, okay I get it." I said brushing his tail away and putting my hands over my eyes. Angus led me blindly down toward the cove and nudged me as if saying I could open my eyes now. When I did, I got quite a surprise. Everyone was at the cove waiting for me. Tables were set up everywhere with food, pastries and all kinds of gifts.

"Happy 18th Birthday, lass." Gunnar said leading into the crowd.

I didn't know what to say, other than to tell myself not to cry. As the day went on, the party got even more exciting when it came time for the gifts. All of them were so great, but out of all of them, I most excited to see Olaf's.

"I made this for you." He said holding a shield reinforced with Gronkle Iron. "Your great grandfather had one just like, I thought, why not you."

"Wow, thanks." I said trying it out.

As I was fitting my hand in, a grappling hook shot out from the center and wrapped itself around Olaf and crashed us together. After we finally managed to untangle ourselves, I think it was safe to say that we both felt awkward after being that close.

"So sorry, should have warned you about that." He apologized helping me up.

"That's so cool. What else can it do?" I said looking it over.

"Well, it can also shoot bolas, has a catapult and it can open up as a crossbow." He said pointing out where each trigger was. "And the Gronkle Iron reinforcement allows this shield to withstand most things that would leave ordinary shields in splinters."

"Wow, that's amazing. Thank you so much, Olaf." I said hugging him.

The rest of the party was going along great, until a flaming boulder came crashing into the cove.

"We're under attack!" I heard Brynhild cry out from Brightwing.

Everyone started to race for their dragons and fly outback to the village. To absolutely no one's surprise, the hunters were on our shores and were attacking. We fought as hard as we could but, one by one, dragons and riders were shot out of the sky and many of our foot soldiers were captured. I took another sweep past a hunter's ship, I could have sworn I saw Barren with them. I didn't have a chance to process anything because a boulder flying past me and Angus knocked me out of the saddle and I landed on the ship. I fought to keep the hunters away as hard as I could, but I was eventually overwhelmed. Angus tried to come in and save me, but I couldn't risk him getting caught too. I yelled for him to go back and find my dad. Angus looked at me reluctantly, but flew off as I had told him to.

"I was wondering when you might show up." I heard Barren smirk at me.

"Barren, what have you done?" I said as I was grabbed by a hunter. "Are you working with them?"

"Yes, but you know what, that's not even the craziest part." He told me getting too close to me. "I'm their leader." He sneered at me as he tore off his riding harness and replaced it with a hunter's vest.

"I don't understand, Barren, why?"

"It simple really. You see, my father was killed by your father after he had killed Ragnar's beloved wife. But the thing is, it wasn't your mother that was supposed to die. My father had led an assault on Berk all those years ago looking for the one thing that would have given Berk every advantage with the dragons, a born dragon whisperer." He explained. "And my father got a clue that said whisperer had to have been on Berk since that's where the last one had been born. I'm sure you're familiar with him, after all, you two have friends in common."

"A Night Fury, my great grandfather, Chief Hiccup."

"Exactly, so when my father came looking for the whisperer, he assumed it would had to have been someone in the chief's family, and when he confronted your mother for the information, she confessed to being what he was looking for. She begged him to take her prisoner, but it wasn't my father's intent on taking prisoners, what he was after was blood. Of course, he hadn't planned on being found by your father so soon and paid for his ignorance with his life. In their haste to leave the island, I was left behind by my own people and had to spend years growing up here with the likes of you and all your horrid dragon riders."

"If you hate dragon riding so much, why did you learn to ride a dragon?" I said reminding him of his Monstrous Nightmare.

"What dragon?" he said showing me his vest. As I looked closer, I saw the vest was made from the skin of his dragon.

"You filthy son of…"

"Now, now watch the language." Barren said putting his hand over my mouth. "Well, now that I have what I came for, there's no need to stick around." He said turning to his men. "Take her below and toss her in a cell. I have big plans for this prisoner." Barren instructed them.

"You're going to regret this, Barren!" I shouted as I was dragged below.

"Oh, I doubt that." He snickered at me.

I kept fighting to break free of the hunters dragging me down, but it was not enough. I pushed into a cell and the door slammed.

"What do you think Barren's gonna do with her?" one hunter asked before walking away.

"I don't know, but I hope he lets us have a little fun with her before he finishes her off. I like them feisty." The other replied as the door closed.

I screamed and kicked the wall behind me. How could I have been so stupid? I should have beaten the living yak dung out of that son of Grendel when I had the chance. But right now, I had bigger problems. I had to get out of here. But I couldn't keep a straight thought, all I could think about was Angus. I kept praying to Odin that he was still safe. I slumped down by the wall and tried to calm down to think. I kept thinking back to all of my great grandfather's memoirs, hoping to remember something that would help me escape, but each one pointed to one thing I needed to have first, patience. All of Chief Hiccup's escape plans worked because he was patient and waited for the right moment. I started to breathe and calm down. There would be a chance to make my escape, I just had to be patient and wait for the right opening.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I was pacing around in my cell when I heard someone's call just outside my window. I looked and saw Angus clinging to the side of the.

"Angus, you gotta get out of here, Bud." I said trying to get him to leave.

But he wouldn't budge. He just stayed hanging on the side of the ship, and the look in his eyes made my heart crack. I reached my hand out through the bars and Angus rested his muzzle in my hand.

"We'll get out of here, Bud." I said feeling my heart break. "I promise."

I heard someone coming and Angus ducked, hiding out sight.

"Barren wants to see you." The hunter said unlocking my door.

He grabbed my arm and led me out to Barren. I could hear Angus hiss before we were gone, and prayed to the gods that no one found him. When we made it to Barren's chamber's the door was opened. Barren sat behind a desk staring straight ahead.

"Leave us alone." He ordered. "Why don't we cut to the chase?" he said as the door was shut. "I know that you're a born dragon whisperer, just like your great grandfather. And I also know that you don't want anything to happen to your people or your dragons. So, I'm willing to offer you a one time deal. You can work for me and no harm will come to Berk and its dragons, including your own, or well, you know the rest."

"I'll die before I help you do anything to harm the dragons, on Berk or anywhere else." I spat.

"Interesting, something you and your dragons may soon have in common." He sneered at me. The door opened again. "Get her out of my sight. Do with her what you will, she's of no use to me if she's not going to cooperate."

I was dragged back to my cell, but instead of being shut in alone, one of the guards shut himself in with me.

"I was hoping he would say that." He said coming closer to me.

"Stay away from me." I said pulling out my knife.

He knocked it out of my hand and pinned me against the wall. "I told you I like them feisty." He said as he tried to kiss me. I drove my knee into his stomach and grabbed his keys as he crumbled to the floor.

I managed to unlock the door and slam in shut before he could get to me. I raced through the hatch up on deck and was met with hunters all around me. Just as they were about to surround me, a shrill shriek pierced the sky and at that same moment, a plasmas blast blew the hunters back. I looked up and saw Angus divebombing down toward me. I reached up and he grabbed my arms pulling back up into the sky.

Once we were up out of the range of the hunters' arrows, Angus tossed me onto his back and we started our flight back to Berk.

"Thanks for coming for me, Bud." I said leaning to hug him as best I could. As I rubbed his head, I got a rumbling purr in reply. "Yeah I know, I'm glad to have you back too."

The flight back took several hours, apparently the hunters got farther than I thought. But when we did get back, there was a huge welcome waiting for us. Dad, of course, was the happiest to us in one piece. That night, we spent a great deal of time helping Mildrith and Hildegard treating the injured dragons and riders. Thankfully, none of our warriors or their dragons had been killed, but so many had been hurt. And I couldn't shake the feeling that it was my fault. Barren had all this happen to get to me, and if he had never found out about me, then none of this would have happened.

When I voiced this to my dad, he wouldn't have it. "No, Agnes, you can't blame yourself for this. If you let yourself feel that kind of guilt, Barren still wins. That's the one thing that allows men like him to get in your head and get the better of you."

"But Dad,"

"If Barren knows that you fell apart because guilt that was never meant for you to feel in the first place, then he will take advantage of that and use it to tear you apart until he gets what he wants out of you." He said holding my shoulders. "So don't, Agnes, none of this is your fault. You didn't lead the hunters here, you didn't order this attack. If anyone is to blame it is Barren, remember that."

I hugged him as he rubbed my back trying to help me feel better about what had happened today. One thing was for sure, while this birthday had started out pretty great, it was one I was not willing to repeat.

In the following weeks, the other riders and I began training harder to be ready for when the hunters attacked again. I don't think anyone could really wrap their heads around the fact that Barren had been working for the hunters all along, or the fact that he had killed his own dragon. If anything, I think everyone was more mad than shocked. I couldn't blame them, his Monstrous Nightmare had trusted him, loved him. I could only imagine the pain and horror that poor dragon must have felt when Barren had him killed, Barren may have even done it himself. Everyone said they wanted to be the one to make Barren pay, but really it was anyone's guess who it was that was going to take Barren down. Right now, all we could do is prepare for the next time he decided to attack.

For me, I had to know more about the hunters. If I wasn't training with my team, or flying with Angus, I was reading my great grandfather's journals. I was so impressed with everything he did, the legends people told didn't do them justice. Sometimes I would wonder if Angus and I would ever be as great as Hiccup and Toothless were.

Today however, was not a good day for Berk. There was a major outbreak of Eel Pox and everyone, even Dad, was getting sick. Mildrith were doing the best she could to treat everyone, but she was running low on ingredients and needed more. With most of my team sick, Brynhild, Olaf, and I flew to Healer's Island to get more ingredients, but the last ingredient, no one was willing to volunteer to go after. A blood bane eel, which could only be found on Eel Island. Angus and I went after it, and Brynhild followed us on Brightwing. I tried to tell her that it was not going to be safe, but she said that's precisely why she had to come with me. We arrived on Eel Island and tried to keep the dragons back. I used to grappling hook from my shield to hook the eels, and managed to get a good few ones. But when I tried to reel in the last one, it was a lot bigger than the last ones. It put up a fight, and I thought I was getting the better of it, unfortunately, it got the better of me and pulled me into the water.

I was able to cut the line, but I was swarmed by smaller eels. One wrapped around my neck and the rest started to drag me down. From above, I saw Angus fire a blast scaring the other eels off. I managed to pry the other one off but it was still trying to take a bite out of me. So Angus took a bite out of it. I was losing air and Angus rushed me to the surface. I breathed, but what I was really concerned about was Angus. We all knew what eels did to dragons, and now Angus had one in his stomach. The worst part was, all the other ingredients were on their way back to Berk with Olaf.

"Brynhild, you need to go after him." I pleaded with her as Angus started to go nuts.

"Agnes," she tried to argue.

"No arguing, I need to stay with Angus, and right now, you're the only on that can go after Olaf and get the ingredients here." Angus started to scream. "Brynhild, please."

"Okay, just promise me you'll be okay."

"I'll be fine, go."

Right as Brynhild and Brightwing, left Angus ran off.

"Angus, no! Bud come back!" I called running after him, grabbing my shield.

I chased him through the woods and found him writhing and screaming.

"Angus, it's okay Bud, I can help you." I said trying to calm him down.

But Angus kept trying to push me away. At one point, he lost control of his fire and jerked in the opposite direction to keep it from hitting me. Shot after shot, Angus was trying not to hit me. One shot, however, came close enough to knock me into a tree. I held on as long as I could, in that time, I saw Angus. He looked scared. I held on, but I lost consciousness and blacked out. I don't know how long I was out, but when I opened my eyes, things were still smoking, which meant I wasn't out long. But I heard Byrnhild and Brightwing arrive

"Agnes, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Where's Angus?"

"He ran off. We need to get in the air and track him down." I said as Brynhild helped me up on Brightwing. "We also need to be careful, remember, Typhoomerages are known to live here."

"Yeah, eyes peeled."

"Exactly."

We flew all around the island, and I was starting to get even more worried, the longer it took for us to find him, the worse Angus was going to get. Finally, we saw fire blasting from the cliffs. We got close, but we saw a Typhoomerange following us.

"I'll keep the big guy busy, you go after Angus." She said handing me the bag with the medicine ingredients.

As they flew off, I tried to get closer to Angus, but he was out of control. The only way I was going to get close to him was to trap him. I led him back to the clearing and tried to get him under an old netter trap that was on the island. He tripped the line and was caught, but he didn't stay that way long. He fired his way out, but it was Brightwing that held him down.

"Did you seriously think we let you handle this all on your own?" Brynhild laughed as she jumped down.

"Thanks Bryn, now let's get that medicine made." I said as I sat down and started getting the medicine made.

Once it was ready, I quickly got Angus to swallow it. He broke free of Brightwing and pinned me down. As it looked like he was about to blast me, instead, he vomited up the eel he ate earlier. Once we saw that he was better, we flew back to Berk with the ingredients and the eels we caught. Thankfully, it wasn't long a flight because I was starting to feel sick myself. Hildegard was able to make enough medicine to treat everyone who was sick, including me. By the time the day was out, I was ready for bed.

Angus kept looking at me as I climbed into bed. The look in his eyes betrayed what he was really feeling. He was still feeling guilty about what happened back on Eel Island when he was sick.

"Bud, it's okay. It was an accident. You were sick and you couldn't control where you were firing. I'm okay, I promise." I said as I rubbed his head and then rubbing his chin. "What happened wasn't your fault. You know I'll love you no matter what, right?" I said hugging him.

I could hear him purring saying he understood. Then licked my cheek and settled down on his own bed. We said good night and finally went to sleep, it had been a long day.


End file.
